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L'Espalier: A User's Guide
New England–French Fusion | Local Ingredients | Vegetarian Degustation | Weekend Tea Parties | Ultramodern Decor
Sample Menu
First course: roasted Hudson Valley foie gras with muscat-macerated strawberries, Sicilian pistachios, and beets cooked in embers
Second course: hot smoked Columbia River salmon with seasonal vegetables from Apple Street Farm and tomato jam
Dessert: sunflower-honey sponge cake with pansies and honey frozen yogurt
When to Go: L'Espalier serves lunch and dinner daily, but guests can also book a reservation for the restaurant's charming Fantasy Tea Party on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. During this time, eager Anglophiles can nibble on delicate tea sandwiches and petits fours between sips of one of more than 15 teas.
While You're Waiting
Honor Chef Frank McClelland, who grows much of the restaurant's produce on his own farm, by planting an amuse-bouche under your chair and waiting patiently for it to sprout.
Ogle the dining room's ultramodern decor and custom chandeliers—both the result of the renowned interior-design firm Projects Design Associates.
Inside Tips
Herbivores rejoice! L'Espalier offers a four-course degustation of seasonal vegetables that's 100% vegetarian.
If you’re a cheese aficionado, don’t miss fromager Louis Risoli's lovingly curated à la carte cheese tray, which was named the city's best by Boston Magazine.
Make reservations before you go.
Look the part. Though there is no set-in-stone dress code, the restaurant prefers guests wear jackets and ties.
While You're in the Neighborhood
Before: Pore over some long-forgotten tomes at Raven Used Books (263 Newbury Street), which Boston Magazine named the city's top used bookstore in 2012.
After: Treat your ears to the same rapturous joy that your mouth just experienced with a show from the Boston Symphony Orchestra (301 Massachusetts Avenue).

If you feel like cooking up some good eats, stop by Five Seventy Market in Boston and pick up some tasty and healthy grocery items.
If pasta is what you're in the mood for, swing by Five Seventy Market and pick up some fresh noodles.
Five Seventy Market offers a range of classic and signature breads, all of which are fresh and baked to perfection.
For dairy lovers out there, this store does dairy right, so make sure to pick up some on your next trip.
Vinegar is a great way to add that extra zing of flavor, and oil goes quickly in the kitchen. Pick these up now and use today or save for later.
When you come home late, you don't want to wait to eat. That's why picking up some canned foods from Five Seventy Market will help speed up prep time on just those very nights.
For mouthwatering meats at an affordable price, head over here and get a bang for your buck.
If your hydration habits could use some work, pick up some delicious beverages to drink with a meal or on the go.
Cereal doesn't have to be just for kids. If you are looking for a quick, easy, and tasty breakfast to get out the door, pick some up today.
A healthy and light snack from Five Seventy Market is a great way to keep your energy up throughout the day.
Loaded with essential vitamins and minerals, the produce from this store will give you the energy your body needs.
Maximize your evening time by relying on the amazing TV dinners available here.
Spices and seasonings are a kitchen staple, so explore the selection at this fun store.
Feeling hungry? Treat your taste buds to one of the freshly baked sandwiches from Five Seventy Market.
Take a dive and swim away with some succulent fish. It's a great source of protein for your next meal!
Here you can find a variety of tasty frozen food items, all of which make a great meal solution for busy families.
Just a touch of these key baking ingredients will make your baked goods pop, so make sure your kitchen is always well-stocked.
Water junkies can get their gulp on with a swig from Five Seventy Market.
The exquisite coffees and teas from here are great for an after-dinner beverage or a pick-me-up during your workday.
Drivers should plan to park on the street when dining at Five Seventy Market's Tremont St residence.
Need a break from the road? Public transportation is also convenient, with popular stops at Washington St. @ Union Pk (SL4, SL5), Back Bay (Framingham/Worcester, Franklin, Needham, Providence/Stoughton), and Back Bay Station (Orange).
Five Seventy Market makes bikers feel at ease with the multiple storage racks outside.
Whether you need fresh herbs or just the basics, Five Seventy Market in Boston makes it easy to round out any recipe.

Everyone knows that Common Ground Cafe has the most affordable groceries in Allston so head on over today and browse the latest options.
A staple in every household, cereal is sure to please every palate in the family.
Here you can find a large number of high-quality staples, such as tasty and healthy oil and vinegar options.
Don't wait for things like rice to cook when you don't have to. The great selection of frozen food here helps you speed up the cooking time for any number of different foods.
Stay refreshed no matter where you are! Water is available at Common Ground Cafe.
When you get that craving for chocolate chip cookies, pick up the ingredients here.
Common Ground Cafe serves up the most delicious freshly-baked bread in town. Head on over and pick up a loaf today.
Start your long and busy work week off on the right foot with a tasty and energizing coffee or tea from Common Ground Cafe.
Pick up some fresh and tasty pasta from Common Ground Cafe and slurp your way to happiness.
For fresh and tender meat that slides right off the bone, head on over here and browse the latest selection of meats.
Grab some canned food items from Common Ground Cafe and keep quick and convenient meal options on hand.
Have a gourmet meal without working away in the kitchen. Throw on your favorite TV show or movie and pop a frozen dinner in the microwave. You'll be happy you did!
Planning a movie night? Stock up on all of your favorite snacks and munch and crunch all night long.
This store has quite a selection of rich spices and seasonings.
Don't get enough dairy in your diet? Dairy products from this store are sure to deliver all the nutrients you need.
Pick up super fresh fish (and a heck of a lot of nutrients) for your next meal.
Feeling hungry? Treat your taste buds to one of the freshly baked sandwiches from Common Ground Cafe.
Loaded with essential vitamins and minerals, the produce from this store will give you the energy your body needs.
The drinks available here are a great way to restore your body's natural balance, so start sipping.
Drive to Common Ground Cafe and find parking in the area.
Just remember to make room in the trunk. Common Ground Cafe is sure to fill your car with only the best groceries in Allston.

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Exhale Spa seeks to transform its clientele inside and out. The founding team of fitness professionals and aestheticians sought to create an environment where they could empower visitors with pampering spa treatments, invigorating fitness classes, and lifestyle education, helping clients attain a sense of control and holistic balance. Now with 19 locations across 11 cities, Exhale Spa and its signature services have earned mentions in numerous national publications, including People magazine, the New York Times, and O, The Oprah Magazine.
Exhale's signature Core Fusion classes incorporate dance-inspired stretches, yoga poses, and Pilates exercises into total-body workouts that build long, lean limbs and sturdy abdominal muscles over time. For an even more varied workout, the instructors introduce boot-camp techniques, cardio exercises, or multiplication tables to select sessions. Yoga classes present a similar amount of breadth and variety, drawing inspiration from a number of introspective and physically oriented styles. To help hasten physical transformations, nutrition and wellness coaches teach attendees about the impacts of diet. These sessions build an awareness of healthy eating habits through custom meal plans and by teaching clients how to identify the edible parts of a fruit basket.
Many of the center's traditional spa services seek to inspire confidence. Facials pamper and refine skin using everything from green tea and fruit extracts to microcurrent technology, and mani-pedis revitalize digits before glazing nails with a vibrant new coat of color. Bodywork treatments look beyond physical relaxation and focus on holistic concerns. Massage therapists can use Eastern or Western modalities to soothe overstressed musculature, and acupuncture treatments and reiki sessions jump-start natural healing processes by encouraging the free flow of inner energies.

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No, he wasn't born in Sicily. In fact—according to a 2011 article in the Boston Globe—Doug Ferriman started out in the pizza business without even knowing how to make dough. But he learned fast, besting 120 competitors and two Italian chefs to take second place at the International Pizza Challenge later that year.
Ferriman is also one of only two people to have won the International Pizza Expo's Pizza of the Year honor more than once, in 2004 and 2007, according to trade magazine Pizza Today. Finally, in the 2013 competition, Ferriman won first in the non-traditional category in the northeast region.
Today, Ferriman brings his dough tossing know-how to Crazy Dough's Pizza, which he co-owns with his wife, Melissa. Their labor-of-love-turned-small-business-success-story, which has been documented in media outlets such as the Boston Business Journal, can be explained by their commitment to quality ingredients and diverse recipes. Their chefs start with a solid pizza foundation of North Dakota flour, vine-ripened California plum tomatoes, and Wisconsin cheese. Next, they transform raw dough into three pizza types: pan-baked, rectangular sicilian pies; hearty brick-oven rounds; or their specialty fire-grilled pizzas, cooked to a crispy, smoky finish on an open-flame hickory grill.
Finally, guests can choose from a huge selection of off-the-wall toppings and signature combinations, such as cheeseburger bacon or potato bacon cheddar. The shops also attract guests with $5 Pabst Blue Ribbon pitchers, calzones, and Crazy Dough Bowls—salads whose bread-bowl exterior can be eaten or worn as a savory hat.

One might not expect an immigrant with no formal education to name his family business after Yale University. But that's just what Steve Sheinkopf's grandfather did in 1923, and the pluckiness of the name was a harbinger of the company's ability to thrive against all odds. Over the course of almost 90 years, Yale Appliance & Lighting weathered the Great Depression and other economic crises, yet Sheinkopf's grandfather kept the business going and even made enough to help his four brothers emigrate to America. In 1984, when the landlord sold the Portland Street building that had housed Yale for 30 years, Sheinkopf helped his father measure a space on Freeport Street on the coldest day of that year. They've been there ever since.
What keeps the company going is a refusal to rest on its laurels and an almost obsessive commitment to customer satisfaction. On any given weekday, you'll find Sheinkopf blogging exhaustive side-by-side comparisons of a variety of his merchandise. The now 25,000-square-foot store houses more than 3,500 lights and thousands of appliances and plumbing products, and its delivery and service departments have grown to include 112 experienced employees and a fleet of 25 heavy-duty vehicles and industrial-size Tonka trucks.
The family legacy continues to flourish. Yale Appliance & Lighting’s kitchen appliances have made the megastore a multiyear winner of Boston magazine’s Best of Boston awards. As reported in the Boston Business Journal, Yale earned a Green Award from Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the city of Boston in 2007 for promoting energy-efficient appliances with education and in-store rebates. That same year, the Journal named Yale Appliance & Lighting one of the best places to work in Boston, which may be partly due to the frequent in-store cooking demos performed by regional chefs.

Groupon Guide

Boston Guide

Politically progressive, ethnically diverse, and packed with boisterous pubs, Boston has evolved quite a bit since it was founded by prim Puritans.

But for all it's changed, you’ll still find evidence of the city’s rich history seemingly everywhere you look. In the Beacon Hill neighborhood, gas-lit cobblestone streets meander past trendy boutiques and organic grocery stores, and in Boston Common—one of the oldest parks in the country—you’ll find both students flinging Frisbees and costumed guides leading tours of Colonial history.

Often landmarks aren't made to stand apart from the rest of the city, but rather blend in seamlessly. Locals tend to forget they're strolling past Paul Revere’s house after picking up pastries in a North End bakery, or passing the site of the Boston Massacre on their way to work in a downtown office building. It is hard to miss the 221-foot Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, however.

It would be ill advised to walk into Fenway Park wearing a Yankees cap. The Red Sox–Yankees rivalry is legendary, and many Bostonians are enthusiastic about showing support for their home team ("Yankees Suck" t-shirts are quite popular during baseball season). When game time rolls around, fans flock to sports bars to root for their team over pitchers of Sam Adams and baskets of chicken wings.

The metro Boston area is home to more than 50 colleges and universities, from powerhouse universities such as Harvard and MIT to small liberal arts colleges such as Emerson and Wheelock. Every year, hundreds of thousands of college students from around the world pour into the city. Their effect on local culture is most apparent during the academic year, when the Boston comes alive with student film festivals, lectures, and boisterous fraternity parties.